Bolt: Amnesia
by AstonMartinLover
Summary: Bolt must once again find his way across the country to get home. But this time he has no memory. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Bolt: Amnesia**

It was a beautiful night in Hollywood. A white dog watched from the porch of his home at the city below.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"You got that right wags." A black and white cat replied.

Bolt stared at it. The city always seemed awake. Even at night.

"I wonder how I didn't notice this for the first five years."

"You think you'd ever forget it?" Mittens asked.

Bolt frowned. "Why would you ask something like that?"

Mittens shrugged. "As dogs age they start losing their memory."

Bolt thought it over. "If I forgot it, I would find it a pleasant surprise. It's such a great place."

Mittens smiled at him. "What about me? Would you remember me?"

Bolt chuckled. "I'd have to. I doubt I could fall for you again."

Mittens mock shoved him. Bolt laughed. He looked up at the sky.

"By the way, what do you mean aging?" Bolt asked.

"Well...you know...you're getting old."

Bolt smiled. "I'm five years old Mitts. I'm a young adult."

"I'm just saying...you're aged. You're gonna start losing your memory eventually."

Bolt yawned. "I'm tired. I'm gonna turn in. What about you?"

"Yeah, I should probably go too." The two turned and entered the house.

* * *

It was now early morning in Hollywood. The life of Bolt would change dramatically on this bright morning.

Bolt padded down the sidewalk. He went for a small walk every morning before Penny woke. It had become a habit. He loved the city in the morning.

Before the rush of Hollywood actors hit. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Travolta. The whole group.

He noticed a small puppy sitting in the middle of the road. He frowned.

A puppy shouldn't be in the middle of the road. And a puppy shouldn't not be moving in the middle of the road.

He padded toward it slowly. It was small. Very small. Small enough that it would be hard for a driver to see it.

There was a Chevy Impala driving up. It was coming moderately fast. It wasn't slowing down.

Bolt sprang into action. The puppy wasn't going to get out of the way.

He ran into the road and pushed the puppy to safety. He laughed triumphantly.

Then he was hit. There was a screech as the car came to a stop. Bolt was thrown forward. He smashed his head into the pavement.

A man got out of the car. The puppy had awakened and run away.

Bolt was lying face down on the pavement. Blood was streaming from his head.

"Oh jeeze." The man said. He looked at the dog. He couldn't just drive away. He couldn't leave the dog. He was sure it was dead.

He sighed, then cautiously picked up the dog and put it in the back seat of his car. Then he drove away.


	2. Chapter 2

**

* * *

**

Chapter 2

"Hey mom, where's Bolt?" Penny asked. She was eating breakfast, getting ready for a long day of school.

"I don't know. Wasn't he sleeping on your bed last night?"

"Yeah. But he wasn't there this morning."

Her mother shrugged. "He's probably in town."

* * *

The plane landed in Bangor International, Maine.

One of the men getting off was carrying a large carrying case among other luggage. He passed through the airport security without a problem.

He got in his car and drove to his home. He entered the house.

"Honey! I'm home!"

His wife embraced him. She noticed the carrying case.

"What is that?"

The man sighed. Then he opened it. "I brought him from Hollywood. I accidentally hit him. I thought I'd take him with me. You know, try to save his life."

Suddenly the white dog came running from the cage, barking madly.

The man and woman screamed. The dog ran out the open door and into the city.

"Well…he's alive." The wife said.

* * *

The dog ran through the city streets. He was freaked out. Worse than freaked out. He was in a mad panic.

He bounded through alleyways. He turned a corner and smashed into a cat. He fell back. He groaned in pain. The cat stared at him.

"Hey buddy, you okay?"

The dog groaned again.

The cat frowned. "What? You can't talk?"

"I can talk fine." The dog grunted. "Who are you?"'

"My name's Garcia. And you are?"

The dog thought. "I don't know."

Garcia frowned. "What?"

The dog's voice cracked. "I have no idea."

"How can you not know your own freakin name?"

"I DON'T KNOW!!! I JUST DON'T!!!" The dog shouted.

The cat backed off.

"Okay. What was the last thing you remember?"

The dog thought. "I was…I was in some…case. There were bars. Like a…pet carrier. Then when it opened I escaped. I don't remember anything else."

Garcia frowned. "How old are you?"

"I DON'T KNOW!!!" The dog shouted again. "I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!!!"

Garcia looked over the dog. "You hurt?"

The dog looked at the blood dripping from his head. "Yeah, I would assume so."

Garcia sighed. "I can take you to my home if you want."

The dog shook his head. "I don't want to be a problem."

He got up and padded back towards the street. He stumbled headfirst into a concrete wall.

Garcia chuckled. "I think you need help."

The dog shook his head. He bashed his head into the wall again.

Garcia rolled his eyes. Then he grabbed the semi-conscious dog by the collar and dragged him to his house.

* * *

Garcia led the mysterious dog to his home. An empty dumpster. His family was waiting for him.

His wife frowned. "Who's the mutt?"

"He's uh…I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Garcia sighed. The dog seemed to be dipping in and out of consciousness.

"I don't know who he is. He has no memory."

The cat shook her head. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She and Garcia hopped out of the dumpster. "What the hell are you doing?" She snapped.

"What? What is wrong with it?"

"He's a dog!" She hissed. "You know what dogs do to cats!"

"What is he gonna do? Eat us? He's freakin harmless."

The cat sighed. "Okay. But he won't stay for long. I don't want him around our children."

"What do you think he'll do? Teach them the way of the dog?"

He hopped back into the dumpster. "Hey dog. How are you doing?"

The dog was shaking. He looked like he was about to pass out.

"Hey. You okay?"

The dog looked at him. "I'm fine. I…I can't believe it. No matter how hard I try I can't remember. Anything."

Garcia looked at the dog, up and down. "You got a collar?"

The dog noticed that there was indeed a collar around his neck. He removed it and handed it to Garcia.

"Bolt. That's a funny name. Like the energy drink?"

"Who? Who's Bolt?"

The dog looked closer at the collar. "According to this…you're Bolt."

The dog frowned. Then he grabbed the collar. He looked at the label.

His name was indeed Bolt. He looked at the back. "Hollywood California. What was I a movie star?"

"Who knows? Hey how do you know about movie stars? You said you had no memory."

Bolt sighed. "I…I don't know. It's complicated." He got up. "I remember…little pieces of things. None of it makes sense. I know…everything about…everything. I know that there are two wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have six children. I know that it snows in the winter and rains in the spring." He sighed. "But I have no idea how my life fits into any of it."

Garcia looked at the troubled dog. "Really? Six kids?"

"I know! It's crazy!" He shouted. "But…I don't know who I am. How can I know all this and not know who the hell I am?"

Garcia was about to respond when he felt a tugging at his fur. His kids were looking at him.

"Daddy? That dog is scaring me!"

He sighed. "Sorry Bolt."

Bolt shook his head. "I really shouldn't be a bother for you."

"No. You can stay. Where can you go anyway?"

Bolt looked at the collar again. "I can go to Hollywood California."

Garcia chuckled. "You know where we are?"

Bolt shook his head. "No idea."

"We are in Bangor Maine. Hollywood California is on the other side of the country."

Bolt sighed. "Well then it'll be hard. I better get going."

Garcia shook his head. "No, No. You should stay a night."

Bolt looked at Garcia's mate. "Is it okay if I stay?"

The cat hesitated. Garcia glared at her. "Okay. He can stay. One night only."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Penny and her family made a formal report to the police. Bolt had been missing for three days. It was enough to raise alarm.

Penny sat in her room. She was crying. Mittens and Rhino watched from a distance.

"I feel bad for the girl." Mittens commented.

Rhino frowned. "Why aren't you worried that Bolt is missing?"

"Because I know something that Penny doesn't. Bolt is Bolt. He would never run away. He probably went to some…"

"Some what?" Rhino demanded. "He's missing! We need to assemble a search party to…"

"Give it a rest Rhino!" Mittens snapped. "Bolt doesn't just disappear. He's a smart dog. He'll find his way home."

* * *

Bolt woke up. There was a cat in his face.

"You came to kill us all didn't you?"

"What?" Bolt asked drearily.

"You heard me!" The cat grabbed the dog by the neck. "You came to kill us!"

Bolt shook his head. "No! I didn't!"

"Tobey!" Garcia pulled his son off of the dog. "What do you think you are doing?"

"He didn't lose his memory dad! He came to kill us. That's what you told me when I was little! You said that's what dogs do!"

Bolt looked at Garcia. "You said what?"

Garcia shook his head desperately. "Tobey I was younger then. I was stupid. I shouldn't have said those things. He doesn't want to hurt us."

Bolt looked at the young dog. His stomach rumbled. "Uh…where do you guys get your food?" He asked.

"Oh! Now he wants our food!" Tobey exclaimed. "Maybe you should eat us you freakin mutt!"

Bolt growled defensively at the cat. Garcia's mate hissed at him. "Don't you dare snap at my son!"

Bolt sighed. "Well I'll be on my way. I'm not taking this crap."

He turned and padded away. Garcia ran after him. "C'mon. They don't mean anything by it. Please. Stay a bit."

Bolt shook his head. "I need to get going anyway. It's okay if your family doesn't respect dogs." He chuckled. "For all I know in my old life I didn't respect cats."

"Yeah well how is this life going?"

Bolt looked at the early morning skyline. "Could be worse."

Garcia looked at the dog. "You don't look too good kid. This is a hard world for someone with no memory. Especially if they're traveling alone."

Bolt looked at the cat. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe…I should go with you."

Bolt chuckled. "That's crazy. You have a family. You have a life. You don't need to get involved in my life."

"What life?" Garcia asked. He looked back at his family. "I believe you. And I want to help you get your life back. Plus, I need a vacation."

He padded back to tell his family. Bolt watched from a distance. His mate was shouting angrily at him. Tobey was getting into the argument as well.

"I have been slaving for this family for years!" Garcia shouted. "I deserve a vacation!"

"Oh, so that's how you see it? I'm making you a slave?" His mate demanded.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I think!" Garcia replied.

"Dad! That dog is gonna kill you as soon as you get past the State line!" Tobey shouted.

"Damn it Tobey! That is not true!"

He turned back to his mate. "I will come back!"

"What about me?" His mate demanded.

"Dang it woman! I need some free freakin time!"

His mate went silent. Garcia sighed. "I love you. You know that. I will come back. I just…this dog needs help. I want to help him."

His mate nodded. "Okay."

He turned to his kittens. "I love you guys. How about I bring you back a present? Huh?"

The kittens nodded happily. Garcia gave each one a kiss on the head, then turned to Bolt.

"So are we going or what?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Mittens stared dismally out the window. "Four days. Nothing."

Rhino shrugged. "You're the one who said he was fine."

Mittens waved him off. "Thanks for the support."

She continued to stare out the window. "I wonder if he's scared."

Rhino chuckled. "This is Bolt. He's not afraid of anything."

* * *

"WOAH!" Bolt shouted in terror. A car sped past him on the highway.

Garcia padded up next to him. "First off you have to jump onto the trucks. Second, grow a little backbone."

Bolt hesitated he saw a pickup truck approaching. He padded back. Then he charged at the vehicle.

He jumped. Garcia jumped after him. Garcia landed perfectly on the truck. Bolt smashed his face into the side and fell. Garcia grabbed his paw. "You sir are an idiot!" He shouted.

"Thanks!" Bolt shouted back over the highway noises. He was hanging close to the wheels. He cried in terror.

"Climb up!" Garcia shouted.

Bolt summed up all will and energy and jumped into the pickup bed.

He collapsed to the metal surface, panting for breath.

Garcia grabbed him by the collar. "What the heck was that?"

His mood had been steadily deteriorating the farther they got from his home.

"Sorry! I've never done that before. I think I haven't."

Garcia was furious. He went to the corner of the truck bed and laid down.

"Cats." Bolt muttered. He, so far, couldn't understand the machinations of a cat's mind.

He could see the sky clouding. It was going to rain soon.

"Oh boy." Bolt watched the sky worriedly. "Perfect time to get in a pickup truck."

The rain pounded down on the two. They would soon cross into Massachusetts. Bolt looked at the angry cat. He got up and padded over to him.

"You know, if you hate dogs so much why don't you go back home?"

"I don't hate dogs."

"Do you hate me?"

Garcia thought it over for a second. "Not for a few weeks."

* * *

Mittens napped on the windowsill. Rhino rolled over to her.

"So are you going to find him?"

Mittens was already half asleep. "F-Find who?" She asked tiredly.

"Bolt?" Rhino said.

"He's smart enough to get home. He doesn't need us."

Rhino rolled down towards the door.

"Woah! What the heck are you doing?" Mittens blocked the door.

"He needs my help. Even if I have to go alone." He stared accusingly at Mittens.

"Look. He doesn't just…run away. He's Bolt."

"So maybe he was kidnapped. Maybe he was…" He paused and gasped in fear. "…Maybe he was killed."

Mittens rolled her eyes. "He's fine. He'll be back soon."

* * *

The truck came to a stop. It had been twelve hours. They were now deep into Pennslyvania.

The man got out.

"Well that would be it for this mode of transportation." Garcia said sophisticatedly.

Bolt scanned the road for cars. "We need to find a fast set of wheels."

"No shit Sherlock." Garcia muttered.

Bolt rolled his eyes. "You know something? You have become EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT lately."

Garcia glared at the dog. "Are you insinuating something?"

"Enlighten me." Bolt commanded.

"Are you saying I'm unpleasant?"

Bolt grinned sarcastically. "You know what? THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM SAYING!!"

"Well maybe I should just go home. Considering we're stranded out here, in the middle of god knows where. And now, according to you, I'm unpleasant!"

"Hey no problem. For all I know I'M FREAKIN UNPLEASANT!! Problem is I don't remember. I don't remember anything. You are the only living thing I know and you know what? YOU'RE PRETTY UNPLEASANT!!"

Garcia prepared to return fire when he noticed Bolt was staring over his shoulder.

"What?"

"I found our fast set of wheels."

Garcia turned to see what Bolt was indicating. Parked in front of a was a red and black Dodge Challenger SRT8.

"I like your eye." Garcia commented. "To the trunk?"

Bolt chuckled as he padded towards the car. "The trunk? Why the trunk?"

The driver of the car walked calmly towards it. He sat in the seat.

"There's our chance. We need to get in the trunk though."

Bolt stared at the older cat. "You've done this before haven't you?"

"Oh yeah. Humans call it a road trip. Let's go."

* * *

The Muscle car sped down the highway. The speed limit was 70. The car was traveling well over 100.

Bolt sat in the trunk breathing heavily. Garcia was sitting calmly in the other corner of the car with a smug grin on his face.

The car's V-8 roared as it accelerated blindly. Garcia suddenly realized the velocity at which his method of transportation was going.

The car was traveling at about 110 miles per hour now.

"Hey Garcia!" Bolt shouted over the engine's roar. "You don't look too good!"

Garcia didn't hear him. He was looking queasy.

"Aren't you used to these things?" Bolt asked.

"Not things that go this fast!" Garcia shouted back.

Suddenly a siren started up. Bolt's brow furrowed. "That can't be good."

"We should just wait for this guy to pull over."

Garcia sat calmly, the same smug grin on his face. "You ought to stop freaking out."

The driver slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

Bolt was blown back by the acceleration."YOU MORON!! WE'RE PULLING OVER!!" He shouted at the driver.

"Oh, I'm sure he understood that!" Garcia shouted. "We're caught in an old fashioned Smokey chase!"

But Garcia was slowly losing his cool. The car was going really fast. He clutched the side of the trunk.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!!" He shouted.

The Challenger was half in control. It was skidding and the tires were squealing.

"Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes!" Garcia shouted at the driver.

The sirens were getting closer. Garcia suddenly noticed a small latch hanging from the trunk top.

"TIME TO GO!!!" He shouted. He pulled the latch. The trunk door swung up.

Bolt screamed. "What are you doing?!"

Garcia jumped from the trunk. He laughed triumphantly. He was free. Then he crashed onto the windshield of the police car.

The two officers stared at the cat that had appeared on their windshield.

Suddenly something bigger hit their windshield. It was a dog.

The dog was bigger than the cat. And heavier. The windshield shattered, sending the two animals into the police car.

The officers screamed. The car spun out of control. It smashed through a guard rail and rolled multiple times

before finally coming to a stop.

Bolt looked around. The two officers were unconscious. Garcia was giggling excitedly.

He grabbed Garcia and dragged him out the shattered front window.

Garcia was still giggling excitedly. "That was fun!"

Bolt grabbed him by the neck. "Listen to me. If you ever pull that again, I don't care whether you helped me or not. I'm gonna tear your throat out."

He released the cat. Then he padded away.

_"That probably wasn't a real threat." _Garcia thought.

"That was a real threat." Bolt announced, over his shoulder.

Garcia swallowed nervously.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Mittens impatiently padded around the house. Suddenly she heard a scratching sound. It was coming from the door. She curiously padded towards it._

_She opened the door. Bolt was sitting on the porch. He smiled when he saw her._

"_Hello Mittens."_

"_Oh my god. Bolt?"_

_Bolt embraced his friend. Mittens was still in shock._

_"What happened? Where did you go?"_

_Bolt frowned. "Nothing. I never went anywhere."_

"_But…Where were you this whole time?"_

_Bolt frowned. "What are you talking about Mittens?"_

_Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Bolt said. He pushed open the door. _

_Outside stood a man. He was dressed head to toe in barked at him. _

_"Bolt? Do you know this person?"_

_Bolt turned to respond. The man reached into his pocket. It was dark but she was pretty sure what the man had pulled out. It was a gun._

"_Bolt. The man has…"_

_"I don't need your help Mittens. You said it yourself. I'm Bolt. I don't need help from anyone."_

_He turned back to the man. The man raised the gun. He pointed it at Bolt's head. Mittens cried out. There was a gunshot._

"BOLT!" Mittens screamed. She looked around. There was no man in black. There was no gun. There was no Bolt.

Mittens stopped to catch a breath. Outside, in the night, a storm was hitting. The gunshot was probably just thunder. On the other hand…

"Rhino! Wake up!"

"W-What is it cat?" Rhino yawned.

"Bolt got shot in the face!" Mittens exclaimed.

"What? Bolt? In the face?"

"Yes." Mittens said. She was crying. "Right in the beautiful face."

Rhino stared at her wide eyed. "Okay! I think you've lost it."

Mittens twitched. "What? I AM THE MOST SANE ANIMAL IN THIS HOUSE!!"

Rhino stared at her, speechless.

"Now we need to go find Bolt." Mittens said. "He's in danger."

"Finally you say something sane." Rhino grinned. "I'll get my ball."

* * *

Garcia padded down the sidewalk. Bolt trailed a considerable distance behind. A cat and a dog seen together in Philadelphia could cause a few fatalities.

Garcia was suddenly pulled into an alley. Bolt watched curiously.

He ran up to the alley.

"This ain't a good night fa you cat. You evah thought about death?"

Garcia thought it over. "Well do you mean like suicide? Or the more common…"

"Shut up." The dog snarled. "You are about to die."

Garcia nodded. "Thanks for the heads up."

The dog looked up and saw Bolt. "Who the hell are you?"

"I believe you've found my cat." Bolt said. "May I have him back?"

The dog chuckled. "You're a funny son of a bitch." He grabbed the cat by the neck. "I want to snap his neck."

Bolt showed alarm. The dog recognized it. "You friends?"

"No. He's a dirty cat. I'm a dog." Bolt had put on a fake Brooklyn accent.

Garcia rolled his eyes. "Sir? Dog? Could you kill me now. That accent makes me want to kill myself."

"Sure thing cat." The dog sneered. Bolt padded closer.

"Wait! I will break his neck for you." Bolt said. He lashed out, punching Garcia in the face. Garcia went unconscious.

The dog frowned. "What?"

Bolt shrugged, then punched the dog in the face. He fell and hit his head on the concrete ground.

Bolt chuckled. "Get up Garcia."

Garcia came to. "Did you punch me?"

Bolt turned to leave the alley. "No. Must've been someone else. Why did you bash the accent?"

Garcia laughed. "You know what accent you were doing? BROOKLYN! You know where we are? PHILADELPHIA!"

"Sorry! Considering I have no memory and have never been to Philadelphia before today, I didn't know!"

"Shut up. We can't be seen together. We need another ride."

Bolt rolled his eyes. "We had one. A nice one. And you wrecked it."

"It's okay. We have Amtrak."

"What the hell is Amtrak?"

Garcia pointed east. "There's a train station that way."

* * *

Mittens and Rhino entered the city of Hollywood. "Where would Bolt go?"

"He probably went to fight the green eyed man!" Rhino exclaimed.

Mittens glared at him. "You know something. I think we're both losing it."

* * *

Bolt snuck aboard the train. Garcia was ahead of him.

"You done this before?" Bolt asked.

"No. But I had a friend. Carroccho. He got on the train before. He's dead now."

"Ha ha. Funny." Bolt paused. "Really?"

Garcia grinned. "Let's find out."

The train sped across the tracks. Suddenly a side door opened. A dog and a cat were thrown off into the woods.

"Nice job hiding Bolt!" Garcia shouted.

"Hey! I didn't know we had to hide." Bolt explained.

"Well doesn't it occur to you? We're on a train that costs money. We are animals. We are a nuisance to humans. And most of all WE HAVE NO MONEY!!"

Bolt looked around. "Where are we?"

"Who knows? We had it all planned out. You would be on a direct train to California. I could've taken it home. Now are we ever getting there?"

"Confidence Garcia." Bolt said.

"CONFIDENCE?!! This from the dog that doesn't FREAKIN REMEMBER ANYTHING!!"

Bolt's ears flattened. "You know what? I want you to go home."

Garcia frowned. "What?"

"You heard me. Your family misses you. Go home."

Garcia sighed. "I told you I'm gonna help you get your life back. I'm not turning back now. Plus I need a vacation."

Bolt frowned. "Listen. I am a dog. You are a cat. You hate me. We are natural born enemies."

"There's no such thing as a natural born enemy." Garcia said. "There are enemies and there are friends."

"And which am I?" Bolt demanded.

Garcia was silent. Bolt nodded. "Exactly. Go home."

He turned and padded away. Garcia considered what to do.

Finally he ran after Bolt. "I didn't kill you for punching me in the face today. I think I can handle anything you throw at me."

Bolt grinned. "Brilliant. Where are we?"

Garcia looked around. "Looks like…Ohio."

* * *

Mittens had caught Bolt's scent. She followed it to a road.

"It ends here." She said. There's nothing here.

"Actually there is." Rhino announced. He pointed to the middle of the road.

There was a puddle of dried blood on the street.

"Oh god."

* * *

Bolt was lying down on the side of the road. He looked at his collar.

"Hollywood California. I wonder what it's like."

"Well I'm sure it's fine." Garcia said. "Full of more morons like you."

Bolt chuckled. "Thanks."

He drifted off to sleep.

He didn't sleep well that night. He dreamt of a black cat and a brown hamster. He dreamed of lightning bolts. He didn't know what it meant.

He was shaken awake. He opened his eyes.

"Stupid dog." He was smashed on the head.

"Oww! What the heck Garcia?"

The cat standing over him was not Garcia. "Good morning dog. Had a good sleep?"

Bolt snapped awake. "Who the hell are you?"

The cat struck him across the face again. "We hungry cats you know that?"

"What are you gonna do? Eat me?"

The cat grinned. "Sure beats eating out of a dumpster."

Garcia was still asleep. Bolt was surrounded by stray cats.

They licked their lips. "Let's feast boys." Bolt held up his paw. "Wait! We can negotiate."

The cat eyed him suspiciously. "What do you have to offer?"

Bolt frowned. "I wasn't expecting you to say yes. I got nothing."

The cat cracked his knuckles. "I'll soften him up first."

He punched Bolt in the face. Hard.

Bolt's head snapped back. He began laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing about?"

Bolt shook his head. "I don't know. It's just funny."

"What is?"

"I don't know. This is what happens when you punch a dog this hard."

The cat shrugged. "You got a point." He punched Bolt again.

Bolt stopped laughing. "That's better."

The cat eyed him. "You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"No idea." Bolt replied.

"I do. I do freakin know you." The cat said. "What's your freakin name?"

"B-Bolt."

The cat stared. "You're Bolt. Bolt the superdog."

He turned to the other cats. "It's Bolt the superdog."

Bolt frowned. "Who's Bolt the superdog?"

The cat frowned. "You're Bolt the freakin superdog."

Someone cleared his throat. "You'll have to excuse the dog's behavior. He has amnesia."

The cat stared at Garcia. "Does this mean I have to explain who Bolt the superdog is?"

Garcia nodded.

The cat sighed. "Bolt is a TV show. It has lasted for five seasons. And you are the lead actor."

Bolt frowned. "I'm a TV star?"

"At least you were." The cat said. He shuddered. "I guess I shouldn't eat you. You are Bolt the superdog."

He signaled to the other cats. Then he and the cats padded away.

Bolt sat there staring of into the air.

"I have a TV show? Woah."

Garcia nodded. He looked around. "We better keep moving."

Bolt nodded. "Yeah. But...you don't think I'm one of those...narcissistic, egotistical celebrity's am I?"

Garcia shrugged. "Who knows? I just know that so far in this trip you're just a moron."


	6. Chapter 6

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6

Mittens observed the blood splatter.

"He was hit by a car." Rhino announced.

"How do you know?" Mittens asked.

"Think about it. He disappeared in the morning. Cars headed for work. If they're late they go fast. He was in the road and he was hit. Fast."

Mittens paused, staring at the proud hamster. "You know…you're quite a detective. Good job."

Rhino saluted. "Shall we find the stricken dog?"

Mittens smiled. "Yeah. Just hope he isn't too stricken."

* * *

Bolt stared at his reflection in a store window. "Wow. I look good."

Garcia rolled his eyes. "Yep. You're a TV star."

Bolt shrugged. "Maybe this is like a mid life crisis and I'll change."

"You think you'll be able to find you're home there?"

"It's on my collar. Unless they moved it's unlikely."

Garcia nodded. "You realize that you have a bruise the size of a golf ball on your head."

"Yeah."

"Do you remember how you got it?"

Bolt shook his head. "I was in a pet carrier. I was bleeding all over myself. And...I ran away at the first chance. Ended up here."

Garcia was about to speak when he noticed a truck pull up. Ohio State Animal Control.

"Uh Bolty? I'd love to talk more about you're past but we have trouble."

Bolt saw the truck and grimaced. "Yeah, we should go."

He began padding in the opposite direction. Garcia followed.

Suddenly there was a large man in front of them.

"I'm too young!" Garcia shouted. In seconds the two animals were in the back of the truck.

* * *

The truck bumped along the road. Bolt and Garcia were in seperate containment cells.

Garcia was lazily bashing his head into the door. Bolt was putting every muscle of his body into trying to open his door.

Bolt sighed. "Stupid door. WHY-WON'T-YOU-BREAK?!" He said, punching with each word.

"It's a solid metal door. You're an amnesiac mutt. It won't freakin break." Garcia said.

"You seem calm."

"Calm? You know what happens in these places? They go for the handsome ones. The ones like you. But ones like me? We never make it out."

Garcia was no longer calm. "This vacation sucks."

* * *

Bolt and Garcia were put into seperate rooms. One for cats, one for dogs.

Bolt growled as the man carried him in.

The man placed the dog into the dog cage and closed the door. He stared at the dog and frowned.

"I know you."

Bolt rolled his eyes. "More TV star crap."

The man's eyes widened. "You were in here before! With that black cat! You're the one who blew up Ester's truck!"

Bolt frowned. "What?"

The man turned and exited the room.

The other dogs stared at Bolt. "What are ya in for?"

Bolt shrugged. "Being a dog on the street at a certain time."

The brown dog growled. He was big. He got up and advanced on Bolt.

"No crap. That's what we're all in for. What are you really in for?"

Bolt frowned. "What do you mean?"

The dog chuckled. "Kill anyone? Piss on somebody's lawn? Stuff like that?"

Bolt shook his head. "No. I'm innocent."

"We're all innocent. But I didn't ask you what you didn't do. I asked you what you did."

Bolt frowned. "What?"

"You told me what you didn't do. I want to know what you did do."

Bolt shook his head. "I didn't do anything."

The dog slammed his paw on the floor of the cage. Bolt jumped.

"Now you have to have done something. How old are you?"

"I have no idea."

The dog laughed. "He doesn't know!" He turned to the other dogs who laughed out of fear.

He stopped laughing. "What are you a friggin retard?"

Bolt shrugged. "Who knows?"

The dog growled.

The man was explaining the situation to the other workers when he heard snarling from the dog cage.

He walked into the room. There was a badly beaten brown dog in the corner of the cage.

Bolt was staring up innocently at the man. "He started it."

* * *

Bolt was shoved into a private cage with the cats. Good. Now he was closer to Garcia.

The man walked out.

"Hey! Garcia!" Bolt hissed under his breath.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I beat up a dog." Bolt said calmly.

"How are we gonna get out of here?" Garcia snarled.

Bolt shook his head. "Never mind that. Listen. I've been here before. The guard recognized me."

Garcia's jaw dropped. "You honestly think I care about that right now. We have to get out of here. Then we can talk about your life."

Bolt looked at the lock. He recognized it.

Suddenly a memory came racing back to him. He had opened this door before. From the outside. But this couldn't be much different.

He reached his paw out of the bars and began prying at the door. Just slide the latch and the door would open.

It worked. He pushed the door open.

Garcia was watching him from his cell. "Bolt! Get me out!"

Bolt smiled. "Garcia. You haven't been very nice to me lately."

Garcia laughed nervously. "I'm helping you get home. Don't let me die here, come on."

Bolt shrugged. "Okay. But be nice."

He reached up and unlatched the door. Garcia jumped out.

"Ah! Freedom!"

Bolt looked around. The other cages seemed to all be empty.

"Not much business, killing cats?"

He padded into the dog cage area.

"Bolt?" One of the dogs asked. "Let us out!"

Bolt smiled. "I'm just the new guy. I can't do that."

The dog's eyes pleaded with Bolt.

"Oh what the hell? That dog face gets me."

He unlatched the door. The dogs mobbed out and into the hallway.

"So much for stealth." Bolt said.

Suddenly someone grabbed his neck. It was the big brown dog. He was beaten up. And he was mad.

"I'm gonna bash your pretty boy face in."

Bolt kicked him in the stomach and ran. Garcia ran too.

The guards were aware of a rumble coming from the hallway.

"Oh crap."

The dogs came storming in. Lloyd got in front of the door to block. Then he became aware of the raw force of the approaching dogs.

He screamed. The dogs stampeded past, and over him.

Bolt looked back. The big brown dog was catching up. He accelerated and put some distance between himself and his pursuer.

"Garcia! You see anything?"

Garcia noticed a bus stop coming up.

There was a bus seconds from pulling in. He grabbed Garcia by the neck and rushed across the street.

The dog glared at his targets. They had reached the bus stop. The bus slid into a stop. They were hidden.

The bus was there for only a moment. Then it pulled away. Bolt and Garcia were gone.

Bolt laughed triumphantly. He and Garcia had stowed away in the luggage compartments.

He looked at Garcia. He was glaring at him angrily.

"What?" Bolt asked innocently.

"You hurt my neck." He hissed. "Why does everything you touch hurt?"

Bolt shrugged. "Maybe I'm a mafia dog. Like a hitdog or something."

Garcia arched an eyebrow. "Really. Cause you would be good at it."

Bolt closed his eyes. "If that's what I am, then I'll thank you later."

Garcia sighed. He laid down on the floor of the bus.

"What do you do for a living Garcia?" Bolt asked.

"I used to be a…legitimate businessman."

"You were in the mob?" Bolt frowned. "Do the cats even have a mob?"

Garcia shuddered. "It's basically a bunch of big cats who tell everyone else what to do. They just call it a mob because there freakin morons.I had started a family. I needed to keep them safe. Cats in the neighborhood…thinking they were superior to everyone else."

He paused. "I was younger. I was stupider. I was desperate. I joined them."

"And?" Bolt asked curiously.

Garcia chuckled. "I was approached by the boss one day. He tells me I'm such a friggin moron that he can't keep me on. I was so scared. Usually when your usefulness is at an end you end up at the bottom of the river.

Well I was lucky. He knew my father so he let me live. He gave my family protection."

"And was that the last you heard from them?" Bolt asked.

Garcia nodded. "A while later I heard that one cat had padded into another cats territory. The gang split apart and killed each other. There are maybe…three or four of them left."

"Geeze. Got out at the right time then?"

Garcia nodded. "But you know...I don't want to be seen as one of those stray criminal cats. I'm a family feline."

"Where is this bus headed anyway?" Bolt asked, looking around.

"Who knows? We could be heading to friggin Japan for all I know."

Bolt calmly opened the compartment door.

The bus was speeding down a highway. Wind immediately began rushing at the two animals. "Shut the door you moron!"

Bolt slammed the door closed. "We're in Indiana."

Garcia chuckled. "Every time I start to warm up to you, you do something stupid."

"How about the Challenger? Why did you have to open the trunk? We had a ride to California!"

Garcia sighed. "I'm going to sleep. You are free to insult me while I'm asleep."

Bolt rolled his eyes. "Cats." He lay down and slept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Mittens stared up at the night sky. She was lying in a park. Rhino was lying next to her.

"So where are we going tomorrow?"

"We'll make tracks for Las Vegas." Mittens said. "We've searched the whole town. He's not here."

"So why would he go to Vegas?"

"Because he's injured. Vegas is where people go to die."

* * *

The bus came to a stop. They were at a rest stop.

Bolt crawled out of the luggage compartment to stretch his legs.

He looked at the side of the bus.

"Las Vegas." He muttered. "This should be fun."

He got back in the luggage compartment. The bus drove off.

The cat and the dog awoke late that day. Bolt was bored. Really bored.

The area was small. Where there should have been room was luggage.

"Where did you get that name?" Bolt suddenly asked.

Garcia cocked his head. "What name?"

"Garcia."

"Well, I don't know. I was named after my father who used to live in Mexico. What do you give a damn?"

Bolt put up his paws. "No reason. Why do you snap at everyone?"

Garcia glared at Bolt. "When I get to Las Vegas I'm going to kill you and dump your body in a blender."

Bolt nodded slowly. "I can't wait."

* * *

Two days later Bolt and Garcia crawled out of the luggage compartment.

"Viva Las Vegas." Garcia said, looking at the skyline.

"You gonna kill me?" Bolt asked.

Garcia frowned. "That was sarcasm. You gotta be able to tell the difference sometimes."

"So we make tracks for California?" Bolt asked.

Garcia grinned. He had sighted the Las Vegas strip.

"You sure you don't wanna…you know have fun?"

Night came fast. Bolt and Garcia padded up to the Monte Carlo casino.

He watched the fireworks shoot into the air. Suddenly memories came flooding back.

He was here. But there were two other animals next to him.

"Woah!" Bolt shouted.

"What's wrong with you?" Garcia asked.

Bolt paused. "Nothing. What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since we left your home you've been treating me like dirt!"

Garcia stared at the dog. "Well…you know…you're a dog, I'm a cat…"

"Bullshit. You told me yourself there's no such thing as a natural born enemy."

Garcia sighed. "I am going to share something with you that I've never told anyone."

Bolt grinned expectantly. "Let's hear it!"

"I'm a moron." He said.

Bolt frowned. "What?"

"I'm a moron. And every time someone else screws up I jump on the chance to rub it in their face."

Bolt nodded. "So I'm not…"

"No. You are a moron. Just not as much of a moron as me. With me it's a chronic freakin disease."

Bolt sat back on the bench. Other stray cats and dogs were near.

"Must be nice. Animal life in Las Vegas." Bolt noticed a black cat in the crowd.

"Hey Garcia. I think that cat is checking you out."

Garcia looked at the cat. "Really?"

Bolt smiled. "No. That was sarcasm. You gotta be able to tell the difference sometimes."

Garcia hesitantly looked at the black cat. "You think she would go for me?"

"Sure. You don't look bad. I mean…for a cat."

Garcia smoothed down his hair. Then he padded towards the black cat.

Bolt watched from a distance as he suavely chatted with the black cat.

"Lady's cat huh? Hope he doesn't forget to tell her he has a mate" Bolt said to himself.

He must have because suddenly the black cat hissed and punched him in the face.

Garcia was sent sprawling back. He crawled back to Bolt.

"She hit me! I'm bleeding! SHE HIT ME!!!"

Bolt looked. A bit of blood was dripping from Garcia's nose.

Bolt patted Garcia on the back. "Grow some backbone. It's just a nosebleed."

"She hit me!" Garcia shouted again.

Bolt padded over to the black cat.

"Excuse me. You hit my friend." He said, moving aggressively toward the cat.

"Yeah well…" The cat trailed off. "Bolt? Bolt!"

The cat embraced the startled dog. "Excuse me? What?"

"Bolt! It's Mittens!"

Bolt frowned. "Do you know me?"

"Yes! Don't you remember me?"

Bolt shook his head. "I don't remember anything."

Mittens smiled and embraced him again. "I thought you were dead."

Bolt looked down at the cat he didn't know.

Garcia padded over. He was still rubbing his bleeding nose.

"What the heck woman? You hit me!"

Bolt turned to his other cat friend. "This is Mittens. Apparently she knows me."

Garcia stared suspiciously at the cat. "You hit me."

"Yeah, we've established that. Who're you?"

"My name is Garcia. I am a…"

"Class A moron." Bolt finished.

"Thank you Bolt." Garcia snapped. "Shall we find a place to stay for tonight?"

Mittens led Bolt and Garcia to a spot behind one of the casino's. Bolt sat down next to one of the dumpsters.

Mittens padded over to Garcia. "Hey. No hard feelings right?"

Garcia muttered under his breath.

"Where's Rhino?" Bolt suddenly called. He paused. "And who's Rhino?"

Mittens padded over to Bolt. "Rhino? He's around here somewhere."

Bolt stared at Mittens. "I have no idea how I remembered that."

"Your memory it probably coming back in fragments." Mittens explained. "You're remembering certain things."

Bolt nodded. "I'm gonna get some sleep. Maybe it'll help."

Garcia grumbled at the two and rubbed his still bleeding nose.

Mittens smiled innocently at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm the guy who's on freakin vacation. Goodnight."

With that Garcia laid down and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was 6:00 AM.

A few miles from where Bolt was sleeping was a dilapidated bar. A dirty looking unshaven man was chugging down drinks.

"You know something?" He said drunkenly to the bartender. "I was once the agent to the best up-and-coming actress ever. I was on the A list of agents everywhere. I was even in talks with Brad Pitt. But I blew it. Now…"

"You've had too much to drink." The bartender said, taking the beer away.

The agent took a clumsy swipe at him. "I'll show you all! I'll win a couple million dollars in the strip and show you."

He got up and staggered out the door.

* * *

Garcia woke up. He noticed that everyone was asleep. It was his turn to scout and get food.

He tapped Bolt on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go get some grub."

Bolt replied with a tired nod. He was still half asleep.

Garcia got up and headed into the city.

After padding around for a while he noticed an old apartment building.

He jumped onto the fire escape and began his way up. He looked into each room to see if it was empty.

All were inhabited. Finally he found an empty one. He cautiously crawled into the open window.

He dropped down inside the apartment, immediately looked for a fridge.

He grinned. There was one in the corner.

"Jackpot." He muttered.

He slowly pushed open the door and looked inside.

The fridge was filled with spam.

The cat shook his head. "Shouldn't have broken into a poor guys home."

* * *

The agent drove home. His car swerved everywhere. He hit a parking meter and came to a stop in front of his apartment building.

He staggered out and entered. He wandered through the halls before finding his room. He fumbled with the keys and opened the door.

Garcia froze. He had heard someone open the door. He quickly ran away from the fridge.

He could see two options. Head for the fire escape or hide in the house.

In one of his many moronic decisions he ran into the bathroom to hide.

The agent entered the room. He looked around. He had heard movement. He headed for the kitchen. He froze.

The refridgerator door was open. He looked around. There was someone in the apartment.

He calmly began searching the apartment. He was scared. Really scared.

He entered his bedroom. There was no one there. He looked in his closet. Nothing.

Garcia crawled into the walk-in shower and closed the door.

"Oh crap." He said, shaking with adrenaline. _"Positive thoughts."_

The agent exited the bedroom.

He noticed the bathroom door was open. His legs wobbled. It could be in there.

He hesitantly walked forward. He flicked the light switch.

The bathroom became filled with light. He walked in.

Garcia was frozen with fear in his hiding place. He had made a mistake.

He would be caught. He could be sent to the pound. He could be thrown off the building.

"_Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts." _He repeatedly told himself.

The agent walked through the bathroom. He noticed the door to his shower was closed.

Garcia could see his outline outside the shower door. He would find him.

"_Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts."_

The agent opened the door. There was a gray cat sitting in the shower.

"I know. Lame hiding place…" Garcia started.

The agent screamed. He pulled out a gun and shot the cat point blank in the face.

* * *

Bolt awoke. He had slept well. He looked over at Mittens and Rhino. They were asleep.

Then he looked for Garcia. He was nowhere to be found.

He sniffed the air. He probably went to get food. Bolt had the cat's trail.

The agent realized what he had done. He shook. The gun fell to the floor with a clatter.

The cat was dead. His body was slumped forward. There was a round bullet hole in his forehead.

"Oh god." The agent said, shaking violently. He ran out of the bathroom. He ran all the way down to his car and drove away.

As he drove away he nearly hit a white dog who was padding by. Bolt dove out of they way.

"Drunk!" Bolt shouted. He looked up. The scent led to the fire escape.

He crawled up, sniffing in every room to see where Garcia was.

He finally found it. He crawled into the apartment. Garcia was not in plain sight.

"Hey! Garcia!"

There was no response.

He followed the scent to the bathroom.

"Garcia! What are you doing in there you moron?"

There was again no reply.

He padded into the bathroom. He noticed three things.

The lights were on. The shower door was open. And there was a 9mm pistol lying on the floor.

He suddenly felt something drop in the pit of his stomach. He padded towards the shower.

There, lying in a puddle of his own blood, was Garcia. Bolt crept closer.

Garcia's blank eyes stared of into space. His fur was red with blood.

"Oh my god." He turned and ran out of the bathroom, sick to his stomach.

He jumped onto the fire escape and vomited.

"GEEZE!!" He exclaimed.

He paused, absorbing what he had just seen. He summed up the will to go back to the body.

He entered the bathroom. There was the body of his friend. The first friend he had ever made.

"Oh god. I am so sorry Garcia." He said. He hesitantly padded forward and sat next to the body.

He began to cry. Tears streamed down his muzzle.

Garcia would never see his family again. He sobbed loudly.

"I'm so sorry. So sorry." He muttered. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

Suddenly there was a sound. Someone was opening the door.

The agent had also summed up the courage to return to his house. He was still drunk. Very drunk.

He headed for the bathroom. He needed to see the body. He walked inside slowly.

He pushed open the door.

A white dog sprinted over his head and out of the bathroom.

The agent screamed again. He dove for the floor and grabbed his handgun.

"Who are you?" He shouted. The dog was gone. He slowly got up and walked back into the main room.

"Come on out doggy. I'm not gonna hurt you." The agent said calmly.

Bolt stayed hidden. He was sure this man had shot Garcia.

The agent scanned the room visually. "Come on out doggy."

Bolt made a run for the window. The agent fired.

Bolt dodged the bullet but stumbled to the ground. He looked up at the agent.

The agent froze. "I've seen you before. You…Bolt?"

Bolt stared puzzled, at the agent. How did this man know him?

"You…why are you here?"

Bolt measured out the distance to the window.

"You are Penny's dog aren't ya?" He said, laughing. "Old memories. Painful memories."

Bolt stared worriedly at the agent. He was getting angry. That would be a problem.

"You're not real. You live in Hollywood. With Penny. After she fired me. This must just be some…hallucination."

Bolt eyed the 9mm in the agent's hand.

"I hate hallucinations. Maybe that body in my shower is a hallucination? Huh?"

Bolt was freaked out. This guy was losing it.

"Why am I asking you? You're a DIRTY-FREAKIN-NO-GOOD-Hallucination."

Bolt turned and ran for the window.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!! YOU'RE NOT REAL!!" The agent shouted. He fired a single shot.

Bolt was in mid jump when the bullet hit him in the back.

He rolled down the fire escape. The agent leaned out of his window and fired more shots at the fire escape.

Bolt came to a stop at the bottom. He got up and limped away, crying from a mix of pain and sorrow.

* * *

Mittens awoke to realize Bolt was missing. She looked around.

Bolt limped towards her.

"Where were you?"

Bolt didn't look good.

"What happened?"

"He's dead. Garcia…he got shot."

"You mean the guy I punched last night? Why do you care?"

Bolt sighed. "You shouldn't talk about him like that. I know him better than you."

"Well you will remember me. Us."

"Damnitt Mittens! He had a family! He was a father! What about his kids huh?"

"Yeah? What about em?"

Bolt turned to get punched in the face.

"WHERE'S MY DAD YOU MUTT?!!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The cat pinned Bolt to the ground. He was furious. He smashed his paw on the dog's head.

"Damnitt Tobey! Get off me!"

Tobey hit him again. Mittens jumped on the attacking cat.

"Get off him!"

Tobey hissed and kicked Mittens back. He turned back to Bolt.

"Where's my dad?"

Bolt tried not to yelp in pain from the bullet. "I…I'll tell you. But…I need you to get off me."

Tobey hesitated, then got off of the dog. Bolt got painfully to his feet.

"Tobey, you're dad uh…"

"What?" Tobey demanded.

"He's dead Tobey." Bolt said. Tears came to his eyes.

Tobey hissed. He punched Bolt in the face. Bolt didn't resist.

"You killed my dad you bastard!" Tobey shouted.

Bolt put up his paws. "No! I didn't kill him. I…I would never hurt him."

"Screw that! He's a cat, you're a dog. Natural born enemies!"

Bolt sighed. "Your father said there's no such thing as a natural born enemy."

The young cat calmed down. Slightly. "You didn't do it?"

Bolt nodded. "I swear to you Tobey. On my own life, I didn't have anything to do with Garcia's death."

Tears were streaming from Bolt's eyes. Tobey saw this. He too was crying.

"H-How did he die?" Tobey asked.

Bolt thought. He realized at that moment that he couldn't tell Tobey the truth.

He would return to the family. Bolt didn't want him to have to tell the family that Garcia had been shot in an accident.

"He…there was a…kitten in the middle of the road. A car was coming. He pushed the kitten out of the way, but…the car hit him."

Tobey sobbed loudly. Bolt embraced the young cat as he cried for his father.

"It's okay. He died bravely. He was a good cat. And a good friend."

"And a good dad." Tobey added tearfully.

Bolt nodded. "Go back to Maine. Tell them…tell them what happened to him. And…don't forget him. I know I won't."

Tobey nodded. He quietly padded away and trudged off into the city.

Bolt wiped tears from his eyes. "That family is gonna have a lot of trouble without a father."

Mittens nodded.

"I'm sorry about your friend Bolt."

Bolt nodded. "Thanks Mittens."

Rhino rolled up in his ball. "Uh…shouldn't we head for Hollywood?"

Mittens nodded. "Let's go wags."

Bolt sighed. "Mittens? Am I a TV star?"

"Not anymore. You used to be."

Bolt nodded. "Good. Garcia never really seemed to like them."

* * *

The trio made their way across Nevada. Bolt stayed silent. He didn't want to trust the people he was with.

The scrawny cat and the overweight hamster. But he felt strangely comfortable around them.

That probably meant that he had known them. The trio crossed the long desert on the outskirts of Nevada.

Of course no cars were in sight. Walking would have to do.

Bolt suddenly stopped. "I think we should go back."

Mittens frowned. "What? Why?"

"I just...I feel like we're leaving him behind. I don't know..."

"Bolt. Garcia is dead. You said you saw the body."

Bolt nodded. "I know but...I should've at least recovered the body."

Mittens rolled her eyes. "Bolt, if this guy is crazy enough to shoot you in the back and claim you're a hallucination, I'm sure he's gotten rid of the body by now."

Bolt shook his head. "Why did I have to run into him that night?"

Mittens rolled her eyes again. "Look, we should go out and make ourselves at home. It'll be dark soon."

Bolt nodded wordlessly and lay down on the sand.

Mittens and her hamster exchanged worried glances.

"Bolt? Are you okay?"

"My best friend is dead and I have a bullet in my back. How okay can I be?"

Mittens sat down next to Bolt. "Sit up. I'll take care of the bullet."

Bolt reluctantly sat up. Mittens examined the wound in his back.

"This isn't terrible. It isn't a deep wound."

Bolt suddenly felt tears coming from his eyes. Mittens roughly pulled the bullet out.

Bolt yelped in pain. "DANG IT THAT HURTS!!"

"No claws wags."

Bolt stared at Mittens akwardly. Mittens sighed. "Guess it doesn't ring a bell."

Bolt padded away. He suddenly turned. "Is it worth it?"

"Is what worth it?"

"My life. Is it really worth another life?"

Mittens stuttered. "Well it's...you know..."

"Someone is dead Mittens! DEAD!! BANG!! SPLATTERED HIS BRAINS ALL OVER THE WALL!!"

Mittens was taken off guard by Bolt's sudden outburst. "Well uh..."

"So I ask you a simple question. IS IT WORTH IT?!!"

Mittens sighed. "I don't know Bolt."

Bolt nodded and grinned. "Of course."

"But I can tell you this wags. The night before you went missing, you told me it was a great place. You said it would be a pleasant surprise."  
Mittens shrugged. "So I don't know if it's worth someone's life, but let me tell you, I'd never seen you happier than when you were there."

Bolt paused.

"So I suggest you let it go. Garcia is dead. It was sad. It was a tragedy. But we have to move on! You need to get home. Your person needs you."

Bolt grumbled something under his breath and lay down. He was asleep in minutes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The trio had finally reached the great state of California. Rhino buzzed excitedly.

Bolt wasn't so excited. He had become suspicious of his two mysterious companions.

The more he thought about it, the less he trusted them. How could he be friends with a cat with a Brooklyn accent and an over-wired hamster?

And so as they crossed into California the amnesiac dog was already planning his escape.

Mittens gestured to their surroundings. "None of it rings a bell?"

Bolt grumbled something in response. Mittens sighed.

Rhino wasn't paying attention to them. In fact, some may wonder if he pays attention to anything. He was hungry. He was paying attention to that.

"Hey cat? Is there someplace to feed my belly of the beast?"

Bolt raised an eyebrow. Mittens sighed. "It's hungry."

Bolt shrugged. "Find a McDonald's. I don't care."

Rhino headed for a fast food place across the street.

Bolt had been eyeing a tree for a few minutes.

"What are you looking at?" Mittens asked.

Bolt didn't answer. He had made up his mind.

Mittens recognized the look in his eye. "No."

But Bolt was already moving. He jumped up into the tree. Mittens tried to follow but the tree was too tall.

"Bolt! What are you doing?"

"I'm getting tired of this. I DON'T KNOW YOU! You're asking me to trust you?"

Mittens sighed. "Bolt, this is stupid. Come on down."

"What are you really leading me too?" Bolt demanded. "A nice fur shop? Someplace where you can kill me?"

"Bolt you're crazy! This is crazy! Now get down here!"

Bolt shook his head and laid down on the branch.

Mittens suddenly noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"Uh, Bolt? Please come down."

Bolt chuckled. "Sadly I don't respond to the magic word."

"Pretty please Bolt! We gotta go!"

"What? Did Rhino return with some hamburgers?"

Bolt looked down in time to see a man in uniform grab Mittens. Bolt ducked out of sight.

The man put Mittens in the back of a truck. Animal Control. Then the truck drove away.

Bolt jumped down from the tree.

"What the heck?"

The truck was gone. So was Mittens.

Rhino returned from across the street. He appeared to have eaten.

"Best. BLT. Ever." He said. He suddenly realized that Mittens was missing.

"Where's the cat?"

"She's gone Rhino. The Animal Control came. They took her."

Rhino didn't seem concerned. He turned and started rolling away.

"I know where the animal control building is. Then it'll be just you and me. Legend and Be-awesomeness…"

"I'm not going." Bolt said.

Rhino stopped. He turned. "What?"

"I don't know her, Rhino. I don't know you. I'm not going to rush into a potentially fatal situation to save someone I don't know."

Rhino frowned. "But you're Bolt. You're…"

"I'm Bolt? Really?" Bolt shook his head. "I've been hearing that from people. I'm Bolt. I should do all this because…I'm Bolt?" He sighed.

"Let me ask you something. Okay? WHO THE HELL IS BOLT?!!!"

Rhino backed off. "Someone who would save anyone. Whether he liked them or not. Whether he knew them or not."

Bolt sighed. "Then maybe I'm not Bolt, Rhino."

Rhino shook his head. "Follow me."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Rhino said, in an unusual moment of authority.

He led Bolt through the streets. They were navigating for about forty minutes.

They had left the city. Bolt looked ahead. He squinted to see.

There was a house there. He oddly recognized it.

"What is that?"

"That's your home Bolty."

Suddenly it was as if a floodgate had broken in Bolt's mind.

Images came flooding back to him.

Rhino watched. Bolt had been frozen for at least two minutes.

"Uh…Bolt?"

Bolt looked down at the hamster. "I have a friend to save. Wanna come with?"

Rhino jumped into the air. "Let's save that cat!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Bolt and Rhino planned out their liberation of Mittens. It was still dark. It was early morning.

"So you will go around to the electricity circuit. You'll hit the red switch."

"What red switch?" Rhino asked.

"The red switch for the electric door. Without it the door won't open. And we won't be able to get her."

Rhino nodded. "And what about wires?"

Bolt frowned. "Wires?"

"Yes! The machine of EVIL!!"

Bolt rolled his eyes. "Yep. I'm back. Okay. No. No wires. Leave the wires alone."

Rhino sat down in his ball. "But wires are evil."

"Moving on. We need to get her out before the sun comes up. When it does, people will come in for their shifts. That is gonna put a dent in our escape plans."

Rhino nodded. He got up and saluted. "I shall not fail you Bolt!"

* * *

The dynamic duo made their way downtown. The animal control building was not especially large. Nor was it especially well put together. But it would be a challenge.

Bolt ran up to the front door. "It's deserted. The fuse box is that way."

He pointed to the east side of the building.

Rhino hesitantly opened the hatch of the ball and crawled out. Then he headed for the fuse box.

Bolt sighed. Rhino could cause trouble. But then, he always caused trouble.

Bolt shrugged and padded into the building.

He came to the electric door.

"C'mon Rhino. Don't fail me now."

* * *

Outside Rhino had finally pushed open the door to the fuse box.

"Hello there. Which of you should I push?"

He noticed the switch. "There we go."

But he noticed something else. He noticed a large group of villainous-looking wires.

He looked from the switch to the wires. Finally he came to a decision.

"DIE WIRES!! DIE!! DIE!! DIE!!"

Bolt heard the shouts and sighed. "Hamsters."

Rhino sliced the wires. The lights went out in the building. Bolt screamed.

He stormed outside to find a giggling Rhino.

"What did you do that for?"

Rhino told his harrowing story.

Bolt sighed. "Good job. You beat the wires. You know what? We need to get Mittens out from behind an electric door. You know what you just did?"

Rhino shrugged.

"YOU JUST CUT THE ELECTRICITY!! THE DOOR IS, GET THIS, ELECTRIC!!! How do we get her out?!"

Rhino backed off. "Gee, sorry Bolt."

Bolt shook his head. "No problem Rhino. Sorry."

Bolt sighed, then turned and headed back to the door.

He pushed against it. It didn't budge.

Bolt pushed again. Nothing.

He suddenly let out a howl of rage and rammed his body against the door.

He continued doing that until he could no longer feel his shoulder.

He collapsed to the ground in tears. "Damnitt."

"Bolt?"

Bolt got to his paws. The voice had come from beyond the door.

"Mittens?"

"Bolt! What are you doing here?"

Bolt had to shout in order for her to hear him through the electric door.

"Mittens! What kind of cage are you in?"

"Uh…a cage brand cage."

Bolt breathed in deeply. "Listen. I need you to do everything I tell you okay?"

"What? You said it yourself! You don't know me! You caused me to get caught! You don't even remember me!"

Bolt sighed. "No Mittens. I remember you. You were left by your family at a young age. You were left, de-clawed, and with little chance of survival.

You then spent your life on the streets of New York City until I kidnapped you in a delusional…thing. And...I know that I like you and I would be devestated if anything happened to you. Is that enough?"

There was silence. "What do you want me to do?"

Bolt smiled. "Listen. I need you to…" He looked through the window in the door. He couldn't see Mittens. He could see a window. An open window.

"Mittens, I need you to reach your paw out of your cage."

He watched through the window. He saw a black and white paw extend from one of the cages.

"Okay. There is a release latch on the cage. I need you to grab it."

Mittens's paw swung through the air before reaching the latch.

"Now I need you to pull it. Then open the door."

Mittens pulled on the latch. "I can't open it."

"C'mon Mitts. Put some super stuff into it."

Mittens strained. The latch slid out. The door swung open.

Mittens jumped down from her cage. Bolt breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now…there's a window above you. I want you to jump up there."

Mittens jumped up to the window. Then she screamed

Bolt was instantly alert. "What is it?"

"It's really high up!" Mittens shouted.

Bolt had forgotten something. While the building wasn't large it was moderately tall. Tall enough to kill a cat.

"Okay Mittens. Do you see a fire escape down there? Anything that could get you down safely?"

Mittens screamed again. "No. There's no way to get down there!"

Bolt sighed. There was no way out. Worse, the sun had come up. The workers would be coming in soon.

"Oh geeze."

Suddenly Mittens slipped. There was a scream and she fell from the window.

"Oh crap." Bolt muttered. He ran down the halls. He burst out the door, barking.

Mittens had fell into the street. She was lying unconscious in the middle.

"Oh no." Bolt said. He noticed a car speeding up.

"MITTENS!!" Bolt shouted. He was already on the move.

He pushed Mittens's unconscious form out of the way.

He turned to see the oncoming car. "Oh fu-"

The car smashed into the dog. He was flung into the air and landed on his side in a ditch.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Bright lights flashed everywhere. Bolt looked around. He was in a room with no windows. He realized that there was an oxygen mask over his muzzle.

He could hear his own raspy breath. He was finding it hard to breathe.

He looked down. His leg was in a cast. It was hurting bad.

He looked at the machines on either side of him. There were a lot of them.

Bolt laid back and groaned. He sat there, wheezing.

* * *

Penny was crying with her face in her pillow. Her mother tried to comfort her but there was little she could say.

Mittens sighed. "After all that. We went all the way to Vegas to get him back. And now he's dying."

Rhino shook his head. "He's not dying."

"All because of me. He had to push me out of the way of that car. I mean…that's good, just…the him getting hit part."

"He's not dying." Rhino repeated.

"I just…I wish he had gotten his memory back sooner. I mean…now he has to die? It's ridiculous."

"It's ridonkulous! He's not dying."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Mittens asked.

"Because he's not dying." Rhino said calmly.

Mittens rolled her eyes. "And you know that…how?"

"He's Bolt. He is…immortal."

Mittens snorted. "Not when faced with the greatest enemy of all. American automobiles."

The phone rang. Penny's mother went to pick it up.

* * *

The family crowded into the room. Bolt was lying in the bed, asleep but out of his coma. His breathing sounded awful. With each breath came a wheeze.

Penny touched her dog on the head. "I thought I lost you Bolty."

She embraced her twice missing dog.

* * *

Penny stayed at Bolt's side for a long time that night. Bolt remained asleep.

She patted Bolt on the head.

The dog's eyes snapped open.

"Bolty?" Bolt barked softly in response. Penny hugged the dog. Despite all the pain, Bolt managed a smile.

In another room the veterinarian spoke to Penny's mother.

"He's in bad shape ma'am. He's got a broken leg and cracked ribs."

"But he's out of the coma. He's gonna live right?"

The veterinarian sighed. "Possibly not. The accident…it damaged one of his lungs. You may have noticed the wheezing. If we don't do surgery he will die."

Penny's mother gasped. "How much will the surgery cost?"

* * *

Penny's mother walked into the room with Penny and Bolt.

She informed her daughter of what the vet had told her.

"So can we afford it?" Penny asked.

"Yes. We're just gonna need to…cut back on spending a bit."

"So can I stay with him?"

Penny's mother shook her head. "You have the final exam's tomorrow. You need your sleep."

"C'mon mom! Which is more important?"

Her mother sighed. "Quite frankly…the exams. Now let's go."

* * *

Bolt watched the two leave. Suddenly he became aware of a rolling sound.

"Rhino?"

There was a squeaky giggling sound.

"Rhino I know it's you. Come on."

Rhino jumped onto the bed. "How did you know?"

"I know you Rhino." Bolt said. "And where is my lovely cat friend?"

"Right here wags." A familiar voice called. "And I think lovely was a bit over the top."

Bolt sniggered. "So when can I get up?"

Mittens and Rhino looked at each other. "Uh…you're gonna have…surgery." Mittens said.

"What's surgery?"

"Well it's…"

Rhino interrupted. "It's where they take a knife and slice you open! Then they do stuff to your insides!"

A look of terror appeared on Bolt's face. "They're gonna slice me open?"

"Yeah! With a big knife!"

Bolt whimpered slightly. "Is it okay if I'm freaked out by this?"

Rhino was about to respond when Mittens kindly shoved him aside.

"Listen wags. You don't have anything to worry about. Penny had one of these to take out her appendix…"

Mittens stopped, seeing that Bolt was looking even more terrified.

The cat sighed. "Okay. Do you feel like it's hard to breath?"

Bolt looked around with and expression of someone looking for a parasite.

"I am feeling a bit of tightness. Did surgery do that?"

Mittens sighed. "Listen. You have a…how do I explain this to a big baby? You have a big boo boo on your lung. It's going to kill you. But if they, as Rhino so colorfully described, slice you open, they can fix it and you will live. You want to live right?"

Bolt nodded, still wide eyed.

There was a silence between the three animals.

Rhino finally spoke up. "However if they screw up…"

Bolt fainted.

* * *

Penny got up early the next morning. She got on the bus after eating half of a breakfast, ready for her final exam.

She walked into the classroom, filled with half awake teenagers.

There was a long period of waiting and then the exam was passed out.

They were halfway through when the ground shook.

Everyone including Penny looked around. It was an earthquake. But a small one. The ground stopped shaking.

"Welcome to California." The teacher joked.

Suddenly there was another tremor. This one was more violent.

There was an evacuation alarm. Then an even more violent tremor.

The school building was old. It was eighty years old to be exact, not counting retrofitting.

Suddenly the roof collapsed. Penny screamed as she was thrown to the ground.

* * *

Bolt was jerked awake. So were the sleeping cat and hamster.

The building was shaking violently. Suddenly there was a groan and the lights went out. The power was gone.

Bolt looked around. "What?"

"It must have been an earthquake." Rhino said.

"Finally you say something that makes sense." Mittens said.

"An earthquake caused by Dr. Calico's undersea drill." Rhino finished.

Mittens rolled her eyes. "Hamsters."

Suddenly there was a humming sound and the lights came back. Emergency generators.

"Well that was fun." Bolt said.

One of the vets turned on the TV. Reports came flooding in about statewide power outages.

* * *

Penny opened her eyes. She was pinned under a section of the roof. She looked around.

The room was empty. Everyone had evacuated.

"Hello! Is anybody there?!"

No answer.

* * *

Bolt looked at the TV. The vet changed it to a local Hollywood channel.

"_Right now no major buildings have come down, however we do have news that the Quentin Tarantino Middle School has been heavily damaged. Luckily all students have been evacuated. Actually…breaking news. One teenage girl is still unaccounted for."_

Mittens turned to Bolt's bed. She gasped.

It was empty. Bolt was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The cat and hamster duo charged through the halls of the hospital.

"What is wrong with that friend of ours?"

"He's heroic. There's nothing wrong with that." Rhino argued.

Mittens and Rhino ran out into the early morning light.

"You always side with him, you know that? It's unfair."

"Well he's a hero. He's awesome. And you're just a cat who defected from the green eyed man."

Mittens rolled her eyes. She was amazed that Rhino still believed that.

* * *

Bolt limped down the street. The streets were almost completely empty this early in the morning.

Bolt would be running if not for his broken leg. But there was something else slowing him down. He hated to accept it. He was getting weaker by the minute.

He breathed hard, forcing air into his damaged lungs. He wheezed. Then he collapsed to the ground.

He was aware of a cross looking cat approaching.

"M-M-Mittens?"

"Bolt? What the hell are you doing?"

"I…I need help. P-Please help me."

"You need that surgery Bolt. You'll die without it."

Bolt breathed in hard. "I…I can go…a few more hours. That's…That's all I need Mittens."

Mittens shook her head. "No Bolt. We don't even know if it's Penny!"

"I do Mittens. I…You gotta trust me on this."

"No Bolt. I'm sorry."

"Damnitt Mittens! I...I just got these memories of Penny back. I can't...let her...die now."

Mittens sighed "What do we need to do?

"Just…Just help me get to the building."

Mittens nodded. She grabbed Bolt's collar and helped him get to his feet.

Then they all made their way towards the school.

Bolt groaned as he saw the firefighters hacking away at the wreckage that was blocking the entrance.

"Bolt…please don't do this." Mittens begged.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" Rhino shouted. Mittens shot him a look.

She turned back to the wounded dog. "We had to support you the whole way here. You won't survive in there."

"It'll be just like the fire."

"Yeah, except you're already half dead." Mittens argued.

Bolt put a paw to her mouth. "Mittens, I promise you I won't die in there. I have a whole other half to burn."

Mittens opened her mouth to complain but Bolt simply shook his head.

"I just got back all these happy memories. I'm not gonna kill myself now. This'll be a piece of cake."

He turned and limped into the building. The humans couldn't get past the wreckage. But Bolt was smaller than the average human.

He crawled into a small crack in the twisted machinery.

He sensed the smoke in the air. He wheezed for more oxygen.

He stopped. He realized he couldn't rush. He needed to conserve his energy.

* * *

Mittens and Rhino watched wordlessly. Both were aching to run in and get him out. But they simply waited.

* * *

Bolt was past the wreckage. He limped through the eerily silent halls of the school.

He had been here several times. Every time he followed Penny to make sure she was safe he saw this place. Seeing it so silent and dark was unnerving.

"Penny?" Bolt called weakly.

There was, of course, no response.

Bolt scolded himself. Though he knew a lot about Penny's school, he didn't recall her homeroom number.

He decided to stop and rest. He suddenly began coughing violently.

He covered his mouth with his paw.

Then he looked at his paw. He had coughed up blood.

"That's not good."

He kept moving. The dog realized now that several hours was an optimistic estimation of how much time he had left.

"Come on. COME ON YOU BIG HEADED LOAD, MOVE!!"

He realized that he had just insulted himself. He continued, stopping at intervals to catch his breath.

He barked into each room that he found. Finally there was a response.

"B-Bolty?"

Bolt grinned and limped into the room. He gasped.

The entire roof had collapsed.

"Over here Bolt!" The faint voice called.

Bolt saw Penny under what was once a ventilation system. She looked injured.

Bolt jumped over the system, making sure to land on his good leg. Penny stared wide-eyed at her dog. "You came back? Wow. That's…"She trailed off. She was also weak.

She reached out and grabbed Bolt's collar.

Bolt pulled. She was under heavy equipment. It wouldn't budge.

He turned and rammed his body into the heavy equipment. It slid slightly. He rammed it again.

"COME ON!!" He shouted. He smashed his remaining good leg into it. It slid enough to free Penny's legs.

Bolt collapsed to the ground, panting for breath.

Bolt now had the task of pulling Penny out. And as Mittens had said, he was half dead.

He pushed, coughing at the same time.

"Come on. Come on." He limped into the hall. The exit was visible.

He smiled. He was within a few yards. He began seeing double. He felt extremely weak. He was losing muscle function. He was done.

_"Come on…just…a…few…more…feet."_

He reached the end of the hallway. There was still the wreckage. But the humans could now get through.

He smiled. He was gonna make it.

Then his body went limp. He fell to the ground.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Two months had passed since the earthquake.

Mittens sat on the porch of the large California home. It was night.

She wasn't alone.

"Hey Mittens." Bolt said quietly.

"Bolt? When did you get back?" Mittens asked.

Bolt chuckled. "What? No hello?"

Mittens kissed Bolt on the nose.

"WOAH! Okay. I wasn't expecting that kind of hello."

"How does your new lung feel?" Mittens asked.

Bolt shrugged. "Like a new lung."

He looked out at the bright lights of Hollywood. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Mittens nodded. "Yeah. You know, I thought you were dead."

Bolt smiled. "I've been hit twice by a car and shot. Rushing into a collapsing school didn't seem too deadly."

Mittens followed his gaze to the city. He was right. It was beautiful.

"So was it worth it?" The cat asked.

"Worth what?" Bolt asked, puzzled.

"Worth everything you went through?"

Bolt shook his head. "Nothing's worth someone else's life Mittens."

The two were silent. They watched the city lights.

Bolt spoke. "You know, I like you. And I think you like me. So why aren't we...?"

"Well...I'm a cat. You're a dog. It's not right."

Bolt frowned. "What's not right about it?"

Mittens shrugged. "Natural born enemies."

The two animals kissed.

"Theres no such thing as natural born enemies."

* * *

Cast

Bolt: John Travolta

Garcia: George Clooney

Mittens: Susie Essman

Rhino: Mark Walton

Penny: Miley Cyrus

Tobey: Anton Yelchin

The Agent: Greg Germann


End file.
